Lucy no Hatsukoi
by Sophie AngelzStar
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. One day, she meets a boy who changes her life. She was happy, until her life suddenly starts to go downhill. She is faced with problems, and old wounds start to open. What would happen to Lucy? Rated T for swearing and violence.
1. Fairy High

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

**A/N: So, I'm a huge fan of NaLu. Which is why I'm making this fanfiction! Enjoy! :)**

It started with a coincidental meeting at the beach. A girl was watching the waves as she stood on the stone pathway next to the road. She was not planning to go down to the beach. The breeze was strong, so she held the ends of her dress in a very lady-like manner, although she did not see anyone around. It was out of habit.

As she let her thoughts wander off to what had happened a few moments earlier, she let out an exhausted sigh. Her father had announced out of the blue that she was going to attend Akiba Girls' Academy, a high-class and prestigious school that accepts only noble ladies. If they did not have what it took to be a noble lady, they would force the basics of being a noble lady into them, or so the rumors said. That was not quite why she objected to attending the academy so strongly, though.

A muffler flew past her and she noticed someone sitting on a thick tree branch on the tree at her left. She reached out and took the muffler, and walked over to him. "Does this belong to you?" She asked politely. He reached down and took it from her with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, thanks!" He replied cheerfully. He wrapped the muffler around his neck once again and stared at the sky. She slowly began to walk back to her previous spot. "Hey... Is something bothering you?" He suddenly asked, looking back at her. Surprised, she stopped walking, and looked into his eyes.

They seemed to give her the urge to want to spill all her troubles out, but she knew better than to do that to a stranger she just met. "Thank you for asking, but I am feeling fine."

He hopped down from the tree. "If that's true, why did you just sigh? That wasn't the first one, too." She could not answer for a few seconds, and there was a silence.

"...I could tell you what the large portion of my troubles are, if you do not mind, that is," she mumbled. She was not used to speaking so openly to people. Who could blame her for being so self-conscious?

"Of course I don't mind. You can tell me whatever's on your mind, really. Trust me, 'Kay?" He said, walking over to stand beside her.

After a few moments of hesitation, she vaguely explained that her father wanted her to attend a school she did not want to go to. "...I cannot tell you the reason, but... I really can't."

He nodded his head. "Hmm... I see. Come to our school then!" He said. She could not believe her ears when she heard him. She had just gathered her courage to spill her troubles to a stranger and he brushes it off like it was nothing?!

"Excuse me?" She said, making sure that she heard him right. She was sure she did, though.

"Come to our school, Fairy High. You can't make it work things out with your father, right? You can just tell him that once you graduate, you'll listen to everything he says. I promise you that you won't regret it. I swear. If you really happen to not like our school, I'll convince him to let you attend a school other than Fairy High and the school you don't want to attend."

She knew. She just met him, it would be foolish to just believe him like that. But she felt as if she could trust him on this. Whether trusting him would be worth it or not, she can decide that later. Right now, she had to tell him what she is thinking. "...I trust you," she said. He smiled, and held up his fist.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel. To make sure you don't take back what you said just now, bro fist me," he said. She had seen people do it before when she was looking out the windows of mansion. It was usually done between guys, but she did not think twice to bro fist him back. She could trust him, right?

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia. Thank you for everything..." She said.

"No problem!"

* * *

><p>Lucy's father agreed, much to the relief of Lucy. Jude Heartfilia decided that if Lucy promised to listen to everything he says when she was an adult, perhaps she would accept things easier, without being so stubborn.<p>

He knew the reason why she did not want to attend Akiba Girls' Academy, but he thinks that the reason was a matter in the past. That was not important now. Yet, his immature daughter refuses to listen and continues to think back about something that happened years ago.

He stopped doing his paperwork for a second, before continuing again. He just had to wait till she gets over it. He knew it would not be long before then.

* * *

><p>As Lucy nervously walked down the stone pavement to Fairy High, she saw Natsu and people she assumed were his friends laughing together. She pretended not to have seem them, since it would be rude to disturb their bonding.<p>

However, Natsu noticed Lucy briskly walking away. "Lucy! Over here!" He yelled, waving her over. Students started to stare at Lucy. Feeling uncomfortable for all the attention, she turned and walked over to join Natsu's group, hoping the students would go back to doing what they were doing before.

A blue-haired girl with a yellow headband did not, however. "Are you the girl Natsu was talking to us about? It's nice to meet you! I'm Levy McGarden, but you can just call me Levy-chan!" Levy said with a kind smile on her face.

"Yes, I am... I'm Lucy Heartfilia. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Levy," Lucy said. Then, her cheeks turned pink. "I'm sorry, it's just a weird habit of mine..."

Levy giggled. "Don't worry about it! You'll get used to talking to us casually soon. Fairy High is full of friendly people. I'm sure you'll make tons of friends and have tons of precious memories!" Levy said soothingly. Lucy thanked her. "...Hey, is that book you're holding the one about the magic guild Fairy Tail? Oh my god! I thought no one read it! Do you like reading?"

"I love reading! In fact, I'm currently writing a novel... It's a secret, though."

"What? Let me read it, please! I promise I won't tell _anyone _else about it! Not even my other friends!"

"Okay, but I'm still writing it. I'll show it to you when I'm done."

"Then promise me I'll be the first one to read your novel! I'm already excited!"

From that moment, Lucy knew that her decision wasn't wrong. Natsu had just opened the doors for her to the world outside the cold and silent mansion, where she had been imprisoned in ever since she could remember. **Little did she know, very soon, everything would fall apart.**


	2. New friends

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Lucy was joining in the middle of the year, so she was considered a new student. "This is our new student, Miss Lucy Heartfilia. Please make her feel welcome," the form teacher of Class 1-A, Miss Evergreen said. "Lucy, you can sit at the empty seat at the back. Since you're sitting beside her, Natsu, I expect you to show her around."

"No problem! I was planning to, anyway," he replied with a grin. "What a coincidence, huh?" Natsu whispered quietly to Lucy a few minutes later, when Miss Evergreen was writing something on the blackboard.

Lucy nodded. She was really happy that someone she recognised would be showing her around. Being the new student in her class made her feel uneasy. Who wouldn't feel that way, on their first day of school? Since it had already been half a year, many would already have friends. She felt slightly left out. Well, at least she had Natsu and Levy.

"Pass the papers down the row. It is your homework for today," Miss Evergreen said, placing sheets of paper on the desks of the students in the first row. Many pupils groaned loudly and complained. After a few seconds, the person in front of Lucy turned around to pass her her paper.

"Thank you," she muttered, taking the paper from his hands. As she stuffed it into her file, he introduced himself.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster. Nice to meet ya, Lucy. Don't worry, everyone here is nice. Well... Most of the students," he said. Levy had said the same thing to her. Both Levy and Gray were kind to her. She was sure that what they said was true.

Finally, after a few hours, the bell rang for recess. After Natsu showed Lucy around, he invited her to have lunch with he and his friends on the rooftop. "I would love to, if it's fine with you," she answered brightly.

"You're late, Natsu!" Gray yelled when Natsu and Lucy arrived at the rooftop. "Fight me!"

"Wha...Ahh! Wh-why aren't you w-wearing a shirt?" Lucy stuttered, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"Oh, I never noticed. But whatever. Come on, Natsu. Too scared?"

"As if! I was just seeing if you were brave enough to fight with me. I was waiting for you to back out. It's too late now, though! You're gonna regret ever asking me to fight with you!" Natsu shouted. From his pocket, Natsu took out a few bottles of tabasco sauce. "Taste this, you icefreak!"

As Natsu and Gray faced off, Lucy walked over the bunch of students who were sitting in a circle, talking animatedly. She avoided looking at Gray as she walked. "Oh, Lucy! Come and sit beside me!" Levy offered when she saw her new friend standing near the group of students awkwardly.

"Um, okay..." Lucy mumbled. She was a very shy girl, thus she tried to ignore the stares of the students as she plopped down beside Levy.

"So you're the new student Levy was talking about. Nice to meet you, Lucy-chan! I'm Mirajane Strauss. I also have a younger brother named Elfman Strauss, but he's in another class," A gentle-looking girl with long and curly snow-white hair introduced herself to her in a very soft tone. Her voice was also smooth, like a waterfall. She was, without a doubt, a very beautiful girl.

Lucy relaxed a little and smiled at Mirajane. "The pleasure is all mine, Mira... mind if I call you that?" Lucy squeaked. Mirajane was silent for a few moments.

Mirajane, who was sitting in front of Lucy, suddenly moved forward and hugged Lucy very tightly. "You're just so cute!" Lucy's image of Mirajane being the 'perfect rolemodel' immediately broke.

"...Eh?" Was all Lucy could say in response to Mirajane's sudden embrace. Levy and a few other girls in the group giggled.

"Mira might be a dream girl to every boy, and the perfect student who aces all her subjects, but secretly, she has another personality. Her 'perfect student and dream girl' personality and her true personality. This is her true personality. She just loves cute things. Rest easy though, she isn't... Well, she doesn't love females," A girl with long red hair explained. "By the way, I'm Erza Scarlet. The Student Council President that keeps everyone in check. Glad to see you wearing your uniform properly and behaving normally, Lucy. Unlike these two... IDIOTS!"

When Erza shouted "idiots", she ran over to Natsu and Gray, who were still "fighting", and slammed their foreheads together, causing them to both fall to the floor. "Ow!" Natsu said in pain. "Sorry, Erza!"

Lucy laughed softly. "Were they always like this? Natsu, Gray and Erza seem close," Lucy said.

"They were. I heard that they were even childhood friends. The three of them have always been like this, all the time I've known them, anyway. Oh, I'm Wendy Marvell. I attend the Fairy Middle School, which is close by here, so I drop in during my recess sometimes," A friendly, dark blue-haired girl said, putting out her hand.

Lucy shook it. "I see. And, um... Isn't recess almost over? There's only 10 minutes left of it." Wendy's jaw dropped, and she quickly stuffed the rest of the bread she was eating into her mouth, running back to her middle school.

"Bye guys! And thanks for reminding me, Lucy-nee-chan!" Wendy called out.

"Nee-chan...?" Lucy said. "...Never mind. I should hurry and finish my food." All the students tried to eat as much as possible before recess was over. Thankfully, they managed to finish most of their food.

* * *

><p>After a few hours, school ended. The bell rang, and all the students rushed out of the school as if they were running for their lives. Lucy picked up her school bag and slung it over her shoulder.<p>

Natsu walked over to her with a grin. "So, how did you like our school?" He asked. "Was it fun?"

Lucy nodded her head repeatedly. "It definitely was! I experienced the most fun I ever had in a very long while! I think I'll stay in Fairy High."

"Really?! Awesome! Then let's all go to celebrate your decision to stay in Fairy High! I'm sure many people would be delighted to come!" Natsu said, beaming.

"Oh, but I wouldn't want to trouble anyone-" Lucy began.

"Hey, who wants to go for a treat? It's on me!" Natsu yelled before Lucy could say anything else. Most of the students raised their hands. Even some just passing by their classroom had their hands raised. "See? In Fairy High, everyone is family. Including our seniors. And of course, you, Lucy. Let's go then." Natsu put out his hand.

Blushing slightly, Lucy placed her hand on his. "Ok... Natsu."

Levy, Mira, Erza, Gray, Elfman and a bunch of other students all went with Lucy and Natsu to a restaurant close to the school.

They chatted and had tons of fun, playing games such as Truth or Dare. They also enjoyed eating mouth-watering food. "I'M A MAN!" Elfman continuously declared at random times. Lucy also met Gajeel, whom Levy seemed to act a bit weird around. She saw her female BFF blushing madly when Gajeel was talking to her. _I see what's going on here, _she thought to herself with a mischievous smile._  
><em>

In the middle of a 'competition' that sparked when Natsu challenged all of them to see who could eat the most bowls of ramen, Lucy recieved a text from her father. 'Lucy, where are you? Return home this instant, young lady!' It read. Lucy turned off her phone and ignored her father's threat. She was with friends. The very first friends she made since her mother passed away. She was not going to let her father ruin the amazing time she was having with them.

"And, the winner is... Natsu!" Mira announced. Lucy, along with a few others, clapped for him. Gajeel, Gray and Elfman, however, looked green, like they were about to throw up.

"Ate... Too Much..." Gajeel said, putting a hand over his mouth and running to the boys' bathroom. Levy hurried after him, feeling worried about him. Lucy laughed. Having silly conversations, playing ridiculous games... She had dreamed of this. These were definitely moments in her life she would never forget, and more days like this one awaited her. She couldn't wait.

Above all, though, she felt something. It warm, and fuzzy. Love. Family. These feelings consumed her, and she accepted them. _This is what it means to be part of a true family, _Lucy thought to herself, feeling elated.

However, of course, there was still an obstacle she had to overcome to continue to feel these pure feelings of love and family.


	3. Consequences

Chapter 3

I do not own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.

The celebration ended at 8pm. Students, some feeling unwell and some still laughing, walked out of the restaurant. Levy, Mira, Erza and Lucy were chatting while also walking out of the restaurant.

"I know something's up with you and Gajeel," Mira teased Levy. Levy's face turned bright red and she avoided Mira's gaze.

"Y-you don't have to put it in such a way, Mirajane," Erza said, looking uncomfortable. Mira turned her attention away from Levy, and slung her arm around Erza's shoulder.

"You're being so cute right now, Erza!" Mira exclaimed. Just as Lucy was about to say something to Mira, a terrible realization hit her.

"Um, sorry guys, but I have to go. See all of you tomorrow, okay?" Lucy said, hurrying off to the direction of her mansion. _What am I going to do? What will Father say?_ Lucy thought anxiously to herself. Her heart was consumed in fear, thinking of the worse case scenario.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the doors of the huge Heartfilia mansion. She gulped, and with a trembling hand, she opened one of the doors.<p>

Silence greeted her. When Lucy stepped into the mansion, however, she heard a something. It was muffled, but she was quite sure she heard the voice of an unfamiliar woman. The voice was very soft, so Lucy assumed the woman was in a room far from the doors of the mansion.

Supetto, a maid who worked in the Heartfilia mansion, hurried over to Lucy. "Lucy, your father requests for your presence." Lucy nodded and walked slowly to her father's study. Supetto looked at Lucy with a look of sympathy.

When Lucy finally arrived in front of her father's study, she knocked softly on the door. "Father, may I come in?" Lucy said.

There was a short moment of silence before her father boomed, "You may." Lucy placed her hand on the gold doorknob and took a deep, shaky breath before she twisted it and opened the door.

Sitting in his chair was Jude Heartfilia, Lucy's father. There was someone else other than Lucy and Jude in the room. It was a lady who was dressed in skimpy clothing and slightly heavy make-up. She was sitting on one of the sofas at the left side of the room.

Jude noticed Lucy staring at her, and 'coughed'. Lucy quickly turned her attention back to her father. "I'm sure you have some questions, Lucy, but first, we must discuss a certain matter. I don't feel the need to elaborate as you should to know what I'm talking about."

Lucy walked closer to her father's desk. "I do, Father. I am very sorry for ignoring your warning. I should not have done that. I beg for your forgiveness. I will accept any punishment given to me."

"You accept _any_ punishment, Miss Lucy? May I, Jude? I will give her a punishment she will never forget. Do not worry, and continue with your work," the lady spoke. Jude nodded, letting the lady give. Lucy her punishment. The lady gave Lucy a sickly-sweet smile. "We can save the introductions for later. Come with me, Miss Lucy." The lady stalked arrogantly out of the room, as if she owned the mansion.

A few minutes later, Lucy and the lady were both in Lucy's room. Lucy heard the door lock behind the lady, which made her more terrified than she already was. What was the lady going to do to her? The lady had a menacing glare on her face. "Miss Lucy, let's have some fun."

Before Lucy could even question what the lady meant, the lady suddenly slapped Lucy so hard that she fell to the ground. Lucy let out a bloodcurling scream. The slap stung, and was so painful Lucy could not put the pain in words. "Shut up, you brat. Jude will hear you. Do you want more?!"

Lucy shook her head vigorously, with her lips tightly sealed. Tears welled up her eyes, and she nevee felt so helpless in her life. "Wh-why... are you doing this?" Lucy half-said, half-whispered.

The lady gave Lucy one of her sickly-sweet smiles again. "Why, you say, my spoiled little child? Because it's fun!" She started cackling. "That's all for today. Misbehave again and something worse is going to happen to you." With that, she left.

* * *

><p>The next morning, she went to school as usual. The slap left a red mark on Lucy's face, so she put a huge white plaster on it, hoping that no one would notice anything different about her.<p>

Lucy happened to meet Levy on the way to school, so the two decided to walk to school together. Levy immediately noticed the plaster on Lucy's face. "What happened to your right cheek?! Are you okay, Lucy?" Levy asked worriedly.

"Er, I accidentally walked into a pole?" Lucy said, trying to make up an excuse.

"That sounds like a question instead of an answer, Lucy," Erza pointed out, joining their conversation and walking to school with them. "What really happened?"

"Eheheh, nothing really. Oh look, Mira's just a few meters ahead of us. Mira! Wait up!" Lucy said, trying to change the subject. Much to Lucy's relief, it worked.

The group of girls met Natsu and a few other boys at the front gates of the school. Natsu noticed the plaster on Lucy's face and tried to walk to her, but Gray picked another 'fight' with him before he could.

At around the start of class, Natsu casually walked past Lucy's table to his seat, and at that one second, he dropped a folded note onto her table. As soon as she noticed it, she stuffed it into her skirt pocket before Miss Evergreen saw it.

When Miss Evergreen had her back turned, Lucy took the note out of her pocket, unfolded it and read it. 'Meet me at the staircase to the rooftop during recess' It read. _Why does Natsu want to talk to me? _Lucy thought curiously to herself. She snuck a glance at him, and he looked back. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before they quickly looked away.

"Well, I'll just have to wait till recess to know," Lucy said softly to herself.


	4. New siblings

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.

**A/N: Unless I put 'A/N:' in front, all words in bold are just like some kind of hint in the story. Well, enjoy! :)**

In a blink of an eye, it was time for recess. Lucy took her lunchbox with her and went on her way to the rooftop. At the staircase leading to the rooftop, Lucy found Natsu standing there, leaning against the wall. He straightened his back and stood properly when he noticed Lucy climbing up the stairs from the third floor of the school.

"Natsu, sorry to keep you waiting! Did you need to talk to me about something?" Lucy said. "We should hurry and join the others on the rooftop, though."

Without saying a word, Natsu walked right up to Lucy and removed the plaster from her cheek, revealing the red mark that was left behind from the slap. "I knew it. Someone hit you, right? Tell me who the person who hit you is. I'll go to kick his ass right now!" Natsu said angrily. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in his anger. His face was also replaced by a very scary look. Just looking at him made Lucy feel terrified that he might kill someone.

"I-It's fine. I'm fine, Natsu. The slap mark will disappear soon anyway. Besides, I'm not really sure who she is either..." Lucy mumbled. "So let's just join the others and have recess together with them, ok?"

Natsu took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Ok. But first, you need to promise me that you'll tell me who that person is, once you find out," Natsu insisted stubbornly. He walked closer to her and took her hand in his. "Promise me."

Lucy cheeks turned slightly pink, and she smiled, intertwining her fingers with his and holding his hand tightly. "I promise." Together, the two went to the rooftop.

Everyone's attention was immediately focused on the two once they arrived at the rooftop. Mirajane grinned mischievously. "Oh, I see what's going on here," she said. "Well, I can't blame Natsu. He must've been immediately attracted to Lucy because of her beauty."

"I-It's not what you think!" Lucy quickly said. "Right, Natsu?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Mirajane? We're just holding hands. Isn't that a normal thing to do between friends?" Natsu questioned.

Lucy's heart sank a little at the word 'friends'. _Wait, why am I disappointed? What Natsu said is true. We're just... friends_, Lucy thought to herself. "You're so freakin' dense, Natsu. Can't ya see that the new girl has feelings for you?" A drunk-looking girl said, hiccuping as she was speaking. "Someone gimme more booze!" She demanded.

"Cana, you already downed 5 barrels. And you're not even allowed to drink alcohol in school," Levy said. "You can't drink so much just because Erza is absent," Levy said.

"She is? Why?" Lucy asked as she sat down beside Levy.

"Oh, I'm not sure either. But it she must be really ill. I mean, it must be that bad, right? Erza would never not come to school because of a small flu. She texted me a few minutes ago, saying she wanted me to go to the public library to borrow a few books for her. Want to tag along with me after school?"

"Sure! I've been wanting to borrow a few books too. This is the perfect excuse to," Lucy said.

And so, the rest of the time they had left for recess was filled with teasing and talking about gossip and rumors. Hours later, the bell rang for the school to end. As agreed, Lucy and Levy met up at the school gates, where they walked to the library together from there.

Once they had arrived at the library, they separated to go to borrow books at different sections. As Lucy was flipping through a book about the history of Fairy High, she saw someone trying to reach a book on an upper shelf. Lucy easily slipped the book out and handed it to that person.

"Oh, thank you, miss," the female student thanked. Lucy realized that that student was wearing a school uniform from a different school. The female student noticed her looking at her uniform and said, "I'm Yukino Orlando from Sabertooth Academy. I'm here at the library with my brother, Sting. I'm 18 and he's 19. You're from Fairy High, right? Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Yes, I am from Fairy High, and I'm Lucy Heartfilia and the same age as you, Miss Yukino," Lucy introduced. "Well, I must be going to borrow this book now..."

All of a sudden, Yukino grabbed Lucy's arm as she was leaving. "Heartfilia? Do you happen to be Jude's daughter?" She asked.

"Er, yes.. How did you know my father's name? And, if you could let go of my arm..." Lucy muttered. Yukino swiftly let go of Lucy's arm and apologized for being rude.

"Actually, my mother is Minerva Orlando. She's engaged to your father. She told me that you weren't aware of that yet, so it must be a bit shocking to know that your father is due to marry my mother in a few days' time. You're my soon-to-be stepsister. I understand if this is all too overwhelming for you, so I won't expect anything to happen between us yet. I just wanted to let you know. It's fine if you don't believe me either," Yukino said.

The lady who was in her father's study the night before... was her soon-to-be stepmother? How could her father just forget about her mother and re-marry?! Was he really that cruel? Was he much more stone-hearted than she had thought?

"I believe you, Yukino, but this is r-really a lot of news to take in. I... need some time to process all this. But before I leave, may I ask if you know when your mother or my father was planning to tell me? And when they're getting married?" Lucy said, her voice quivering a bit.

Yukino opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, a voice whispered loudly, "Yukino! Hurry up and get that book! We need to go, Mum's waiting for us! We need to go to the Heartfilia Mansion after this, and we can't be late!"

One of Lucy's questions was solved. The owner of that voice, a spiky-haired blonde approached Yukino and Lucy. "Lucy, this is my brother, Sting. Sting, this is Lucy, Jude's daughter," Yukino introduced. "It's such a coincidence, right?"

Sting nodded and looked at Lucy. "Wow. When I heard that Jude had a daughter, I thought she would be just some arrogant and spoiled princess, but Lucy looks normal. Nothing special," Sting commented.

Lucy didn't know whether it was a compliment or an insult, so she didn't say anything. "We need to get going, you two. Whether you found that book or not, we have to leave now. Get in the car," a familiar voice demanded.

Minerva walked to Yukino and Sting. She was surprised to see the girl she had slapped with them, but her expression was quickly replaced by her usual sickly-sweet smile. "Oh, Lucy my dear, how nice to see you again. My children and I had planned to meet you and Jude at the mansion, but since you're here, why don't I give you a ride back home with us? Come on now, don't be shy," Minerva said.

Minerva touched Lucy's shoulder, causing a chill to go down her spine. Lucy wanted to refuse her offer so badly. She did not want do _anything _with the crazy woman who made her father decided to re-marry and slapped her so hard that it left a mark on her face. But there was a small part of her that was curious about Minerva. Even though Lucy knew that **curiosity killed the cat, **she couldn't help but wonder about this woman.

Thus, without thinking things throughly, she blurted out, "O-okay. But I came here with my friend, so let me tell her that I'm leaving first." Lucy immediately regretted the words once they were out of her mouth, but there was no turning back. It was just a car ride. What harm could it do, right?


	5. Mourning

Chapter 5

**A/N: I do realise that this chapter seems a bit rushed, and I apologise for that.**

After informing Levy that she was leaving and borrowing the books, Lucy entered the carpark with Minerva, Yukino and Sting. "Sit in the passenger seat, sweetheart. Sting and Yukino can sit in the back," Minerva offered, opening the door for Lucy. Lucy hesitated, but then nodded and sat down in the passenger seat.

She was getting nervous. Very, very nervous. Extremely nervous. Minerva sat in the driver's seat and started up the car. Then, she started driving.

It was silent for a good few minutes before Minerva said, "It's a bit quiet. Let me turn on some music for us to listen to." She took a CD from a compartment in the car and slid it into the CD player.

The second the music started playing, Lucy knew what song it was. "This is-!" She exclaimed. "It's..."

Her mother's melodic voice sang, "I tried but I can't so I'll just have to try again, and again, and again~!" The song was sung by Sayuri Heartstar. That was Layla Heartfilia's stage name. Layla was a singer, but she retired when she found out she was pregnant with Lucy. When Lucy was 3, Layla was brutally murdered. Lucy was only a toddler, so she didn't understand what had happened, and did not know the exact details of Layla's death, but she was sure of one thing. **The killer was never found.**

"Wh-Why... do _you _have my mother's album?" Lucy asked, strong feelings of sadness and anger clashing with each other in her heart.

"Lucy..." Yukino whispered sympathetically.

"Why don't I have it? I was Sayuri's manager, after all. How awful that such a beautiful singer with a wonderful voice died, right?" Minerva said, loving the suffering look on Lucy's face. "She was kind-hearted too, and loved eadh and every one of her fans."

Lucy shut her eyes tightly and her grip tightened on the book she was holding. "Can you please just drive, Miss Minerva?" Minerva did not reply, but she kept quiet for the rest of the ride.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Heartfilia Mansion. Much to Lucy's surprise, she saw maids and butlers bustling about. It was noisy as the maids and butlers shouted things to each other. Lucy tapped on the shoulder of a passing maid. "Excuse me, what's going on?" Lucy asked, staring at the high pile of paper that maid was carrying.

"We're planning the wedding for Sir Jude Heartfilia and Lady Minerva Orlando," the maid informed her. Then, she scurried off. Standing in the middle of ithe chaos was Jude, talking to a maid about some arrangements.

They were planning the wedding already?! Didn't that mean it would be too late to talk her father out of it?!...No, she wasn't going to give up that easily. Before Lucy could walk over to her father, Minerva rushed past her and gave Jude a hug. "My love, I missed you. We're going to make this wedding perfect," Minerva gushed. Then, at a softer tone, she said, "Let's sleep in a hotel tonight to celebrate our engagement."

Unfortunately, Sting, Yukino and Lucy all heard her. "Ugh," Sting commented. "Why is my mother always like that?" Yukino giggled.

Jude seemed to have (finally) noticed the three teenagers standing at the front door, and motioned for them to follow him and Minerva to his study. Even though it was as noisy as a construction site on the ground floor of the Heartfilia Mansion, Jude's study, located on the floor above, was as silent and peaceful as ever.

Jude told the teenagers that they could sit down on the couch, and Sting and Yukino did, but Lucy remained standing.

Jude sighed. "I know that this is all very hard to take in, but I hope you understand Lucy. I did this for us. You and I need to move on from Layla's death, and accept reality. I'm sorry that I kept this a secret from you, but I knew you wouldn't be able accept it right away, so I had to," Jude said.

"You told Mother that you would love her forever! Why are you betraying her now?! That stupid woman you're re-marrying is not even worth to be the wife of a beggar!" Lucy shouted angrily.

"Lucy!" Jude said forcefully, standing up. "I will not have you saying bad things about Minerva! It is not her fault that your mother died! I wanted to be understanding but you've left me no choice! Go to your room, young lady! Supetto, escort Lucy, Sting and Yukino to Lucy's bedroom. Lucy, you'll be sharing your room with Minerva's children until the maids manage to have two rooms ready for them."

Before Lucy could protest, Supetto, who heard Jude's command, escorted her out of her father's study. Once they arrived at Lucy's bedroom, Supetto left, but not before saying, "Lady Yukino and Sir Sting, your luggages shall arrive here shortly. And Lady Lucy? ...I hope you do not act that way to your father again."

There was a long, awkward silence once the three were left alone. Lucy had her back turned to the two, not wanting to show them the depressed and resentful expression on her face. When Lucy finally calmed down, she forced a smile and turned around.

"Sorry for saying bad things about your mother. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. My bed is big so Yukino, you can share it with me. I'll have one of the maids send a mattress here for Sting," Lucy said.

"Lucy, it's fine if you insult her. We don't really like our mother either. All she does is sleep with different men and have their babies. We're siblings, but we're from different fathers. So that things wouldn't be confusing, we used our mother's last name as our last name," Sting said gently. Yukino went over to Lucy and held her hand.

"You're not alone, Lucy. You can share your pain with us," Yukino said comfortingly. Lucy gave them a genuine smile. Sting and Yukino are good people, that was for sure.

"Thank you. I feel so much better now," Lucy thanked gratefully.

For the next few hours, all of them introduced themselves, adding details such as the friends and enemies they made at school, their strengths and weaknesses, etc.

Sting and Yukino's luggages arrived when they were in the middle of their introductions, along with Sting's mattress, but they still continued to talk.

"I also have a senpai named Angela. Her little sister, Akari, attends Akiba Girls' Academy," Yukino said. "And then-" she began.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Akari and Angela?" Lucy interrupted. "As in, Takada Akari who attends Akiba Girls' Academy?"

Yukino seemed a bit surprised that Lucy knew her senpai's last name, but she nodded. "Yes, that's right. How did you know...?"

Takada Akari. Lucy's former best friend, and the one who ruined Lucy's life. She never wanted to ever hear that name again. A tear slipped down Lucy's right eye.

"Lucy, are you okay? Why are you crying?" Yukino asked worriedly. "Did I say something to make you sad?"

Lucy blinked and snapped back to reality. Realizing a tear had escaped, Lucy quickly wiped it away with her hand. "Oh, it's nothing. I just got some dust in my eye. You can continue with your introduction, Yukino."

Although Yukino was still a bit worried, she continued talking about her friends. The three of them chatted till late at night, and when they finally decided to stop to let Yukino and Sting start packing, it was already half past ten.

"Are you sure you should be packing? Wouldn't it be troublesome to move your things once two rooms are ready for you two?" Lucy asked as she helped Sting place a few sets of folded clothing into an empty drawer.

"It's fine. I heard a maid say that we would be staying here for two weeks so it'll be troublesome if we _don't _pack our stuff into the drawers now," Sting assured.

Once they finally finished packing and taking a bath, Yukino laid down on the bed, exhausted. "I'm so sleepy. Mind if I sleep first, Lucy?" Yukino asked, yawning.

"Not at all. Go right ahead. I'll go to sleep once I finish reading this chapter of the book I borrowed today," Lucy said. Once Lucy said that, Yukino fell asleep in seconds. A few minutes later, Sting, who just got out of the bath, walked over to Lucy as he dried his hair with a towel. He bent down till his face was right beside Lucy's and looked over her shoulder.

"Let me see. Is the book that interesting?" Sting said curiously. Lucy couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. Her cheeks heated up. She could feel his breaths on her skin, and he was so close...

"U-Um, you could just sit on the chair beside me, you know," Lucy suggested. At least it was better than having him so close to her.

"Ok, then I will. The book does seem to have a nice story," Sting said, oblivious to Lucy's embarrassment. When he sat down, he noticed a photo frame that was set on Lucy's desk. It was the only photo frame, and since it had a golden lining, it stood out. In the photo frame was a photograph of Lucy's mother carrying 3-year-old Lucy with her right arm and holding a microphone in her left hand. Lucy's mother was dressed like a popstar, and Lucy like a mini-version of her.

As Sting tried to reach out and touch the photo frame, Lucy grabbed his arm. "Don't touch it," she hissed harshly. Once she realized what she was doing, Lucy quickly let go of Sting's arm. "I'm sorry. I just..."

Sting shook his head. "No, it's all right. I won't touch it. Your mother is a very important person to you, isn't she? ...I used to have an important person in my life too."

Lucy closed her book and slid it into her bookshelf. As she was doing that, she asked, "'Used to'? Did something happen? It's fine if you can't tell me..."

"I can, really. This might sound kind of weird, but my father was really important to me. My real mother died giving birth to me, so he managed on his own. But he was 18 when I was born, and when the chancellor found out my mother was pregnant, my parents were kicked out of college. My father struggled a lot because of that, and he was jobless for a long time, but he always smiled when he was with me. No matter how bad our financial situation was, he was always, always smiling. But then one day, his smile changed. He was still smiling, but it was a different kind of smile. He was in love. That was when he met my stepmother, Minerva. I was only 16, but I was the one who usually checked the water, electricity and credit card bills. I noticed that huge amounts of money had been spent on female clothing and jewellery. I confronted him about it and after much pressing, he told me about Minerva. I yelled at him, saying that wasting money on a woman was pointless if she was going to hurt you. I was referring to my real mother, and about how her death badly affected him. He slapped me and swore. The next day, he disappeared. I didn't see him for 2 whole months. All he left behind was his credit card and his wallet. Then, Minerva came to take me in, saying my father was dead," Sting said. "I blamed myself and even tried to commit suicide twice, but Yukino managed to stop me."

Lucy was at a loss for words. She barely knew Sting, but he seemed like a nice person. To attempt to commit suicide...twice? Lucy gently patted Sting's back, hoping it would comfort him. That night, neither Lucy nor Sting managed to sleep well.


	6. Settling down

Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Here's another** **chapter!**

The next day, Lucy went to school as usual, but with Yukino and Sting walking with her. After the marriage, Minerva, Sting and Yukino planned to move in with Lucy and her father, so Sting and Yukino had to transfer from Sabertooth Academy to Fairy High as it was closer.

"Ugh, I'm feeling a bit nervous..." Sting muttered. "Even though I'm a guy."

"It's fine! Everyone gets nervous on their first day at a brand new school! Right, Yukino?" Lucy said.

"Don't worry, Sting. I'm sure you'll have tons of friends in no time," Yukino agreed.

"Lu-chan!" Levy called out as she ran up to Lucy. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Levy," Lucy greeted. "Oh, and I'm sorry for leaving earlier yesterday."

"It's all right!" Levy assured. She noticed two unfamiliar people, Sting and Yukino, walking beside Lucy, and asked who they were.

Lucy vaguely informed Levy that they were friends of hers who were transferring into Fairy High. "Oh, I see!" Levy said, then talking to Yukino for a while.

When they reached Fairy High, Sting and Yukino separated from Levy and Lucy going to the school office to be informed of their classrooms. Sting ended up in Lucy's class, but Yukino went to another class.

After the two got out of the office, they noticed Lucy was waiting for them outside. "Huh? Isn't class starting, Lucy? You should hurry up and go to your classroom!" Yukino asked, confused.

"The form teacher, Miss Evergreen, isn't here today. I heard that she was getting married to a 3rd-year here, but it was just a rumor. And the substitute teacher has not arrived yet, so I decided to come here to wait for you two," Lucy explained. Then, she turned to Yukino and patted her back. "I overheard that you'll be going to Class 1-B, Yukino. Even though you're in a different class, you'll be fine! Good luck!"

Yukino smiled and thanked Lucy before briskly walking past her to her classroom, not wanting to be late. "Ok, let's go, Sting." He nodded and walked behind Lucy as she led him to Class 1-A.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, just half an hour before recess, it was self-study period. A few students were studying, but most of them were just chatting. A few of Lucy's friends, as well as Lucy herself, had gathered around Sting.<p>

"You've got yourself a catch, Lucy. Don't care for Natsu anymore?" Cana said as she downed a can of beer. "Ugh, where's my barrel?! This is barely enough!"

"T-That's not it! Besides, Sting is older than us!" Lucy said. "Wait... If you're older than us, why are you in this class? This class is for first-years. Did the teachers get your age wrong?"

"No. When I was 14, I skipped that entire year of school since I had to work to make ends meet since my father got degraded. So I stayed back to learn what I was supposed to learn when I was 14 the year after," he explained.

"I see. So since you're poor, you're still single,little boy? Wanna play with me afterschool?" Cana asked seductively. Sting's face immediately reddened as he shook his head. "Aw, no fun. You first-years are boring."

Levy laughed nervously. "Don't mind her, Sting. Cana's actually 21, but she kept failing her grades so in terms of education, she's still a first-year," Levy said. Then, she noticed a few people coming towards her direction.

A few girls that were whispering to each other close by walked up to Sting. "Sting, I heard you transferred from Sabertooth Academy. That's such a prestigious school, so it must've been a huge waste to come to Fairy High," one of the girls said.

"Hm? Not at all. Fairy High is a wonderful school, as wonderful as all the people in the school," Sting told them, smiling.

"Kyaa! You're handsome on the outside _and _nice on the inside! Totally ideal!" Another girl squealed.

"Eh? Uh, thank you," Sting said, beaming with happiness.

"Seems like you're fitting in just fine!" Lucy joked as she patted Sting on the back. "I guess I'll go check on Yukino."

* * *

><p>"You're so cute! Oh, you're cute too, Lucy," Mirajane gushed, hugging Yukino. Yukino was blushing, and Erza and Lucy could clearly see why. Yukino was sitting down, and Mirajane was standing up, so Yukino's head was half-buried in Mirajane's chest.<p>

"Ahem..." Erza coughed. "Mirajane? Lucy came to check on Yukino, so I think it would be helpful to let go of her." Mirajane heard Erza, and let go of Yukino reluctantly.

"So are you doing fine, Yukino? Do your classmates like you?" Lucy asked. "Well, it's obvious Mirajane loves you to pieces, but what about your other classmates?"

"I'm doing fine, Lucy. Thanks for worrying. I think I've made a few friends too. After all, everyone here is so friendly! Especially people like Kinana and Laki," Yukino said cheerfully. "I'm so glad I came to attend Fairy High. The people here are different, compared to the peope at Sabertooth Academy."

"That's good to hear. Now, I should go back now, before the substitute teacher goes to Classroom 1-A for the next period," Lucy said, looking at her watch. She walked to the door and was about to leave when Erza stopped her.

"Before you go, could you visit Natsu on your way home today? He says he's sick with a terrible fever, but I have my Student Council duties to attend to, so I don't have the time. Initially, it was Gray who asked me to visit him because he said he was busy, and I only agreed that time as I didn't know I would be busy. Here's a bag of medicine and a map to Natsu's house," Erza said, handing Lucy a small plastic bag with a bottle of pills and a packet of cooling pads inside and a folded piece of paper.

"Ok, no problem. I don't have plans this afternoon anyway. I'll be heading back to the classroom now," Lucy agreed.

With that, Lucy left. During recess, Yukino and Sting were introduced to many new friends, including Wendy and Romeo from the middle school. By the time the bell rang for the end of recess, they made a lot of good friends, as well as a small number of enemies (a few students who were simply jealous of them), but they were elated and comfortable at Fairy High.

* * *

><p>Hours of class flew by, and yet another day of school was over. Lucy was about to leave the classroom when Levy suddenly ran up to her.<p>

"Lu-chan, I need to ask you for a favour. Will you help me help Mirajane with her work as the Vice Student Council President? I have something... important to do, so I can't make it. Please!" Levy pleaded.

Lucy looked over Levy's shoulder and saw Gajeel leaning against the door at the back of the classroom and instantly knew what "important thing" Levy had to do. "I would if I could, but-" Lucy began.

"Thank you, Lu-chan! I owe you one!" Levy said as she ran off with Gajeel.

"Wait! I haven't...!" Lucy called. Then she sighed when there was no reply. "And, she's gone. ...Well I guess helping Mira with some work couldn't take that long."

When Lucy found Mira and explained everything to her, Lucy was shocked at the amount of things needed to be done. "My assistant is absent today, so I hope I can count on you, my cute Lucy! First, you would need to help me take notes while we have about three meetings back-to-back about three different things that will probably last 2 hours, and then we would need to clear out unauthorised clubs which will take about half an hour, then..." The list continued down.

As Mirajane was telling Lucy about the list of things needed to be done while they were walking to the Student Council Room, Lucy noticed Sting surrounded by a few tough-looking third-years in the hallway. She was about to go to him to see if he was doing fine when Mirajane nudged Lucy.

"Are you listening Lucy? Anyway, we should go to the Student Council Room to get your notepad. The first meeting is starting in 2 minutes," Mirajane said, dragging Lucy into the room in front of them.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, I managed to finish everything in 2 hours, but I'm exhausted!" Lucy complained to herself as she stretched. "And I still need to go visit Natsu too. Speaking of Natsu, I hope he's okay. The day has been less noisy and fun without him." Lucy took her bag, and noticed Sting's bag was still slung over his chair. "Hm? Is he still here? Maybe I should bring his bag to him."<p>

After searching around the school for Sting, Lucy decided that she was just wasting time and that he was probably just surrounded by girls who thought he was ideal. Then she realised there was still one more place she haven't checked.

"He probably isn't up here, but I just have this feeling..." Lucy said to herself. When she opened the door to the rooftop, both the bags she was carrying dropped to the ground, as well as her jaw.

Sting was there, his feet on the edge of the rooftop, about to fall off the school building onto the ground.


	7. Complications

Chapter 7

The school bags Lucy was carrying immediately dropped to the ground as she ran towards Sting and cried,"Sting! What are you doing?!"

Sting turned around and faced Lucy, his eyes widened in surprise. "Lucy? You're still in the school? I thought most of the students had already went home for the day," Sting said. He tensed when he realised that Lucy was staring at him, her eyes filled with fear.

"Sting, can you please come down? It'a dangerous to stand there," Lucy soothed gently as she slowly edged closer to him. "Let's go home together, ok? Don't do anything... reckless."

Sting took a step back. "Don't come any closer! Or I'll... I'll jump off!" Sting hollered.

Lucy stopped moving, and a drop of cold sweat trickled down her face. Sting was... trying to commit suicide. That sentence was still processing in her mind, but she told herself to focus on thinking of ideas to talk him out of it. "Why are you doing this? Weren't you happy? Is there something that made you comfortable?" Lucy asked.

Sting looked away for a few seconds. "N-Nothing's wrong. What are you saying?" He muttered with a hint of fear in his voice. "Leave me be, Lucy. Leave now and you can act as if you didn't know about this when I die. I-I just want to be free!"

"You're lying. There _is _something wrong, and I will _not _leave unless we both leave together, alive. So what is this about wanting to be 'free'?" Lucy pressed on. She just had to distract him for a while, and Erza will be here in 15 minutes, since it was the Student Council President's job to lock the rooftop door before she leaves. "All you have to do is tell me. You're going to jump off anyway, right?"

Sting hesitated for a few seconds he took a deep breath and told her what was wrong. "An hour and a half ago, a few 2nd and 3rd-years cornered me and made fun of me. I didn't feel threatened by them until they started to mention my father. I don't know how they knew about him, but they seemed to have a clear understanding of what happened. Then one of the 3rd-years said that I should just disappear because I was a murderer, and that my father died because of me."

"But you shouldn't-" Lucy began.

"I know! I don't know why I'm being so childish, believing them, but I really, really want to die. Then I can be free of the heavy guilt I have been feeling for years. The weight on my shoulders just gets heavier, and I think someday I might just... break. I might as well die a quick death before that happens," Sting interrupted.

He stopped talking, and took another step back. His face seemed relaxed, as if he was ready to take away his own life just like that. Then he started to put out his arms, ready to fall. "Take care of Yukino for me, Lucy. I have lived this long only because I didn't want to leave Yukino all alone. Now she has you, she'll manage fine without me," Sting said.

"Wait! Don't fall! Sting!" Lucy shouted as she sprinted towards him just as he started to fall off. When he was about be out of her reach, Lucy managed to grab his arm. "Please listen to me! You can't die!"

"Let go of me, Lucy. By doing this, you're trying to make me suffer and live with my guilt for the rest of my life, you know? Let go," Sting told her.

"You didn't kill your father! I'll prove it! Just, please..." Lucy said. Sting felt warm tears drop onto his arm. "Live."

...Live? He had been told by Yukino not to die, but he was never told to live before. Not dying and living are different things. Very different things. You can be told not to die, but that doesn't mean you actually live. Living is to stop suffering, and to learn to love and hate like every other human. It's to change when it's needed, and to become the person you want to become.

"I still don't know you that well yet. Live so that I can know you and become the best stepsister I can be for you. Maybe you hate yourself. So you don't have to live for you, you can live for me, and for everyone that cares about you. Yukino loves you as a brother, and I'm sure she doesn't want you to die. She needs and wants you only, Sting Orlando. And I want you too. I promise that I'll prove you didn't kill your father. So Sting," Lucy said gently. "Will you choose to live as a new person, or to die to be freed from the guilt of something you may not have done?"

"I..." Sting mumbled. Lucy smiled as she saw a tear escape Sting's eye. She pulled him up as much as she could, and he got back onto the rooftop by himself. "I want to live."

Lucy embraced him gently. "I'm glad."

* * *

><p>They stayed like that for a few more minutes before someone's voice interrupted them. "Ahem."<p>

Lucy quickly let go of Sting and backed away a few meters as she realised what she was doing. Her face turned as red as a tomato. "Um, not to interrupt, but both of you need to leave the rooftop so that I can lock the door," Erza said awkwardly.

"O-Of course!" Lucy said as she quickly scurried away. Sting turned his back on Erza to wipe away his tears before he left as well.

_What was I doing?! I feel so embarrassed now! And for some reason, I feel guilty... _Lucy thought to herself as she experienced a mix of embarrassment and guilt. She briskly walked to the classroom to get her bag, and then she realised she had left it at the rooftop. She was about to return to the rooftop when she saw Erza standing at the classroom door, holding her bag.

"Thank you, Erza," Lucy said, taking her bag from her hands. "I should go to visit Natsu now. Did Sting leave the school already?" Erza nodded, and stopped Lucy before she could leave.

"Wait. I need to talk to you. Don't worry, it'll only take a few minutes," Erza said, rather firmly. Lucy was confused, but she nodded for Erza to continue talking. "About the hug with Sting at the rooftop..."

At the mention of that, Lucy's cheeks reddened. "Y-Yes, what about it?"

"I think it would be better if you stayed away from Sting. I heard from Yukino that both of you are soon-to-be siblings. Having romantic feelings for him would be very painful, since both of you can never be. Falling for him will only make you suffer..." She mumbled with a faraway look in her eyes.

Lucy was surprised that the fierce-looking Erza had a side like this, but she understood that everyone suffers because of something. In Erza's case, it seemed to be love.. "Don't worry, Erza. I like Sting only as a friend and love him as a stepbrother."

Erza snapped out of her trance. "That's good. That was all I had to say, you can go now, Lucy."

Lucy glanced at Erza's sorrowful face for one last time before she finally left, heading to Natsu's house.

* * *

><p>"Hm... I'm sure it's somewhere around here, but all the houses look the same..." Lucy muttered to herself as she tried guess which of the identical houses was Natsu's.<p>

"Can I help you with something, Miss?" A kind lady with short white hair asked. "You seem lost."

"Um, do you happen to know where Natsu Dragneel's house is?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, his house is the last one of this row. I'm his neighbour, Lisanna Strauss. And who may you be?" Lisanna said politely. She then noticed Lucy's uniform. "Oh, you're from Fairy High?"

Lucy nodded. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, a new transfer student who transferred into Natsu's class recently. Are you from Fairy High too? ...Though I don't remember seeing you before.."

Lisanna grinned. "I used to be a student there until a got an invitation to attend a boarding school at the United States. I came back because I hated the school and I missed everyone. I'll be joining Fairy High again a few days later, once I get my moving details sorted out."

"Is that so? I hope to become friends with you then!"

"Me too! I gotta run now, catch you later!" Lisanna said, waving as she ran back to her house.

Lucy waved back, smiling. Once Lisanna went into her house, Lucy walked to Natsu's house, and rang the doorbell. No one answered. She pressed the doorbell a few more times before she realised the door was open. "Strange... Why is the door open?" Lucy said to herself.

When she came in, the first thing she noticed was the huge mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere and dirty plates filled the sink. Lucy put her school bag and the bag of medicine on the sofa as she said, "Sorry for disturbing..." even though it was obvious no one was home.

She somehow made it to Natsu's bedroom, which was even worse. Other than the clothes on the floor, papers (homework, perharps?) were all over his desk, and some on the clothes. His bed was left unmade. And there was something that stood out most of all. Spray-painted on the walls of his bedroom, were two words in red: GIVE MONEY.

There was no way he did it himself. "GIVE MONEY"? ...Was he in debt? As she was thinking this, she heard a soft purr from under Natsu's blanket. A cat?

A blue cat emerged from under the blanket and walked cautiously up to Lucy. At first, it hissed, but upon realising that Lucy wasn't one of the loansharks, the cat snuggled up against Lucy, purring in delight. Lucy smiled and rubbed the cat's head gently.

"I'm home..." A familiar voice announced wearily. Lucy heard Natsu take the bag of medicine. "Is someone here?"

As he walked into his room, Natsu noticed Lucy sitting cross-legged on the floor, petting the blue cat as it napped. Lucy turned her head to look at Natsu. "Oh, I just let myself in since the door was unlocked. I'm sorry for intruding. Erza sent me here since she was worried about you. Are you feeling better?" Lucy said.

Natsu, who wore a hoodie with jeans, didn't say anything. "Natsu?" Lucy said anxiously. "What's wrong?" Lucy placed the blue cat onto the floor and walked up to him. As she was about to take his hand, he suddenly collapsed. "Natsu!"

Lucy dropped to her knees and rolled up his sleeves to see if he had any physical injuries that caused him to collapse. His arms were covered in bruises and fresh cuts that looked like they were made only minutes ago. It was the same with his legs and his entire chest.

But Lucy became even more horrified as she realised the major injury that made him collapse. He had been stabbed.


End file.
